Second Iranian tanker arrives at Venezuela territorial waters
Second Iranian oil tanker named Forest arrived late on Tuesday in Venezuela's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) under escort by Sukhoi Su-30 and F-16 Fighter Jets.
Chief of Staff of the Command headquarters of Venezuela Jesus Suárez Chourio has described such escort as remarkable.
In a twitter message, Chourio said Venezuela escorts Iranian oil tanker as a friendly move taken based on traditional maritime agreements.
Chourio wrote that escorting the Iranian tanker to reach a safe port is a historic event.
He further appreciated Tehran for its humanitarian aid for Caracas, stressing that Iran will always have support from Venezuelan nation and government.
In a related development, Venezuela's Minister of Defense Vladimir Padrino López had already said that bringing about security to Iranian oil tankers is on the agenda.
Two days ago, the first Iranian oil tanker "Fortune" docked at El Palito refinery ignoring the US warnings and sanctions.
Three other Iranian oil tankers are "Faxon", "Petunia" and "Clavel" that are passing the Atlantic Ocean to reach Venezuela.
The arrival of the Iranian tankers in El Palito port are due to the fuel shortage in Venezuela after the US sanctions against the country.
Appreciating Iran's move, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has thanked Iranian support, stressing that Caracas and Tehran are both after peace, and have the right to do free trade.
Maduro has described both Venezuela and Iran as revolutionary nations that will not bow to the US imperialism.
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